Category Archives: History

DX Slice Recipe

Posted on June 15, 2015 by | Comments Off on DX Slice Recipe

Extract from Southland DX Digest August 1956

RECIPE FOR DX SLICE or Good slice of DX

INGREDIENTS: 6 or 7 valves, 1 9” speaker, 1 well Calibrated dial, 1 log book and pencil and 1 pinch of slight Static (to suit your taste!)

METHOD OF MIXING: Stir the whole lot together making sure that the static is well at the bottom, & shake vigorously. (This will ensure that everything is working properly.)

COOKING: Place the mixture in a hot place around 1400 and allow it to simmer slowly. During this part of the procedure it would be as well to listen intently in case some of the small U.S. raisins come to the top!

This is a preview of DX Slice Recipe. Read the full post (206 words, estimated 49 secs reading time)

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Posted in History

New Articles Added

Posted on June 7, 2015 by | Comments Off on New Articles Added
Permanent link to this post (67 words, estimated 16 secs reading time)

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Posted in Antennas, History, Military, Technical, Time-sensitive

Lord Haw-Haw and More

Posted on May 4, 2015 by | Comments Off on Lord Haw-Haw and More
William Joyce lies in an ambulance under armed...

William Joyce lies in an ambulance under armed guard before being taken from British 2nd Army Headquarters to hospital. He had been shot in the thigh at the time of his arrest. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The BBC has released archive footage from World War II featuring the infamous Lord Haw-Haw (William Joyce) and more. Check the links on the right hand side of this page. Thanks to Paul Rawdon via DX Dialog for finding this gem!

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Posted in Clandestine, History

On Air – A History of BBC Transmission

Posted on April 29, 2015 by | Comments Off on On Air – A History of BBC Transmission

bbcqslA book titled On Air – A History of BBC Transmission is now available for
free download from the BBC Engineering website.

On Air celebrates a lifetime of achievement in the world of broadcast
transmission engineering and includes many anecdotes from the lives of people
involved. The idea for On Air came about back in 1997 when BBC Transmission
was privatized. Prior to that happening BBC Transmission delivered programs
to listeners and viewers for 75 years using a vast network of engineering
systems.

This is a preview of On Air – A History of BBC Transmission. Read the full post (150 words, 1 image, estimated 36 secs reading time)

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

Early History of 2YA

Posted on March 29, 2015 by | 1 comment

Many thanks to Paul Rawdon who passed on this link to the Porirua City Council’s history of 2YA.

Permanent link to this post (19 words, estimated 5 secs reading time)

1 Comment

Posted in Broadcasters, History

Titahi Bay’s Radio History

Posted on February 1, 2015 by | Comments Off on Titahi Bay’s Radio History

rnz1For nearly 80 years, Titahi Bay has played a significant role in NZ’s radio history. This flash back from the Dominion Post tells of the early days.

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

Shortwave Rekindled

Posted on December 23, 2014 by | Comments Off on Shortwave Rekindled

one_transWhilst the stations may be going, the magic of bringing distant radio stations into your home still remains. This article by Anthony M Castelletti in The Buffalo News shows that our hobby simply needs resuscitated to once again inspire, amaze and thrill.

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Posted in History

Radio In Russia – Historical Article

Posted on September 12, 2014 by | Comments Off on Radio In Russia – Historical Article

Dmitry Mezin

Many thanks to Russian DXer Dmitry Mezin for this article. It was originally compiled for Italian magazine Radiorama and appeared in Italian translation for the January, 2001 edition.

moscow_50th_front

This is a preview of Radio In Russia – Historical Article. Read the full post (2184 words, 9 images, estimated 8:44 mins reading time)

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

Shortwave Scene’s 30th Anniversary

Posted on September 3, 2014 by | Comments Off on Shortwave Scene’s 30th Anniversary
Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

“The Shortwave Scene” was a monthly column in the Electronics Australia magazine. Here, Arthur Cushen takes a look back at the first 30 years.

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

WARC 1984 Article

Posted on September 3, 2014 by | Comments Off on WARC 1984 Article
Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Here is an article written by Arthur Cushen in the “Shortwave Scene” column of Electronics Australia, October 1983, previewing the 1984 World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC).

 

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

The World’s First Pirate Radio

Posted on August 22, 2014 by | Comments Off on The World’s First Pirate Radio

plugge1931Thanks to Paul Rawdon for the following item on DX Dialog: Les Woodland tells the story of Captain Plugge, founder of Radio Normandie, the first station to take on the BBC and probably the World’s first pirate radio. From January 2000.

And these is more detail and photos on the Off Shore Echoes website.

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Posted in History, Pirate

Memories Of 2XN

Posted on August 16, 2014 by | 1 comment

2xn_txmtr_1Martin Hadlow has kindly supplied this reminiscence of his home-town station, Nelson’s 2XN.

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Posted in Broadcasters, DXers, History

Hams Celebrate Dutch Offshore Pirate Radio

Posted on August 11, 2014 by | Comments Off on Hams Celebrate Dutch Offshore Pirate Radio

nordseeOn August 31st it will be 40 years that the Dutch offshore radio stations stopped their transmissions due to changes in legislation. Many fans still mourn the loss of their beloved stations in 1974. Arie, PD0ARI, from Giessenburg, The Netherlands, will be operating the Special Event Station PD538RNI from August 28th until September 19th. He will be active on 10m, 20m and 40 meters. All operations will be on Phone.

The “538” in the call sign stands for the last frequency the offshore radio station Veronica used, and RNI stands for Radio Northsea International, the name of the other station that had to stop 40 years ago. QSL via PD0ARI, direct (w/SAE & 2 USDs) or by the Bureau.

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Posted in History, Pirate, Time-sensitive

Aussie Broadcast Band In 1960

Posted on August 4, 2014 by | Comments Off on Aussie Broadcast Band In 1960

Historical article:

aussiebc1960a

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aussiebc1960b

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

Using Standard Signals From WWV

Posted on August 4, 2014 by | Comments Off on Using Standard Signals From WWV

wwv1Historical article:

Using Standard Signals From WWV

Possibly not all readers realise that very precise standards of time and frequency are available on the short-wave bands to anyone possessing a suitable receiver. This paper, prepared by engineers of the Aerovox Corporation, summarises the present transmissions and suggests methods by which the information can be used.

THE standard time and frequency transmissions of the National Bureau of Standards radio stations WWV and WWVH provide an invaluable service to laboratories and individual experimenters throughout the world.
Extremely precise audio and radio frequency standards, as well as accurate time intervals and radio frequency propagation warnings, are placed at the disposal of anyone having a receiver capable of tuning to one or more of the transmitting frequencies.

This is a preview of Using Standard Signals From WWV. Read the full post (1943 words, 6 images, estimated 7:46 mins reading time)

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Posted in History, Technical

Arthur Cushen’s 1st Radio Hobbies DX News

Posted on July 30, 2014 by | Comments Off on Arthur Cushen’s 1st Radio Hobbies DX News

163-October 1952-92 copy

Arthur Cushen was New Zealand’s longest-serving and most prolific DX news columnist and one of the most prominent DXers of his time. This article was produced in October 1952.

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Posted in DXers, History

AES Stations Part 2

Posted on July 29, 2014 by | Comments Off on AES Stations Part 2
80-November 1945-36

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Posted in History, Medium Wave, Military

American Expeditionary Broadcast Band Stations 1946

Posted on July 29, 2014 by | 1 comment

aef1

Historical article:

AES Stations on the Broadcast Band in 1946.

bcb2

Foreign to the soldiers of World War 1., but well known and much appreciated by our troops today, are the numerous radio stations installed at centres throughout the “fighting” world, wherever reasonably large numbers of Allied men and women may be stationed. Many such stations in the Pacific war zone have been heard in Australia, as well as others in Europe; nor do we forget the various United Nations’ radio stations on the short-waves.

DX’ers will be interested in the information we are able to supply about some of these stations.

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Posted in History, Military, Stations

The Rise & Fall Of Broadcasting House

Posted on July 28, 2014 by | Comments Off on The Rise & Fall Of Broadcasting House

bh1

 

Thanks to Paul Rawdon reporting on DX Dialog, here is an podcast on the history of our very own “Broadcasting House”. In 1963, Broadcasting House  in Wellington opened. It was the nerve centre of the country’s radio networks and home to the Capital’s stations. Its Japanese-made technical equipment was state-of-the-art and its studios world-standard. It was demolished in 1997 to make way for an extension of parliament that never happened. In 1972, Spectrum’s Jack Perkins recorded a day’s activities in Broadcasting House. This rebroadcast of ‘Sound Around the Clock’ marks 50 years since the opening of Broadcasting House.

This is a preview of The Rise & Fall Of Broadcasting House. Read the full post (109 words, 2 images, estimated 26 secs reading time)

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

The Dreaded “Sealed Set”

Posted on July 28, 2014 by | Comments Off on The Dreaded “Sealed Set”

ss4

Historical article:

SEALED SET SCHEME

bcb2

We feel sure DX’ers would not have appreciated the sealed set scheme, used for a time during 1924. To overcome the financial problem, a listener was able to purchase a set, enabling him to receive signals from one station only. The listener was able to choose the station to which he wished to listen, and was compelled to pay a licence fee to the station to which his receiver was tuned. Stations asked their own fees, by the way.

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Posted in History, Receivers